Agricultural harvesters cut crop material from the field, and separated into grain and non-grain components. Non-grain components, often called straw, or more generally MOG (material other than grain) is deposited on the field either to enrich the soil, or to be subsequently gathered and harvested in a second harvesting operation. The separate harvesting operations may comprise baling, or gathering the windrow together and blowing it into a bin or wagon.
Often windrows are deposited on the field and are later harvested, sometimes days later. This time interval is often provided to permit the MOG in the windrow to dry out. Furthermore, some gathering processes are sensitive to the amount of moisture in the MOG. If the MOG is too moist, or too dry, the baling process may be unsatisfactory. For this reason, leaving the MOG in the field in the form of windrows for a period of time can improve the formation of the bales.
In order to dry out properly, it is beneficial to make windrows having a specific shape or contour. A consistent thickness and height is beneficial because it permits the windrow to dry uniformly. A consistent width of the windrow over the width of the windrow is beneficial because it permits bales (particularly round bales) to be formed evenly and consistently.
If the thickness or height of the windrow on one side is greater than the thickness or height of the windrow on the other side, the bale can be bound tightly on one side and loosely on the other side, permitting the loose material to fall out of the bale.
Typically, the shape of the windrow is controlled by steering mechanisms variously called flaps, gates, and vanes that are disposed in the flow of MOG that will leave the combine. The steering mechanisms direct the MOG onto the ground in windrows. The shape of the windrows is at least partially defined by the orientation of the steering mechanisms.
During the day as harvesting proceeds, however, the characteristics of the MOG may change. Typically, the operator is unable to monitor the profile (e.g. the shape) of the windrow from in the operator's cabin of the agricultural combine. Agricultural combines are not commonly provided with cameras that view behind them. Furthermore, even if cameras giving the operator a rear view are provided, the fast-moving, two-dimensional image that can be seen on the screen of a monitor in the operator's cabin does not provide enough two-dimensional detail to indicate to the operator the profile of the windrow he is creating.
Even if the operator is aware that the harvesting conditions have changed and the windrow contours are less than optimal, it is not easy for the operator to make adjustments to the shape of the windrow as the agricultural combine is traveling through the field.
The steering mechanisms are typically manually adjusted at the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, in order to change their settings, the operator must stop the agricultural combine, dismount the vehicle, walk to the rear of the vehicle, loosening bolts or other fasteners holding the steering mechanisms in place, adjust them, and then return to the operator's cabin and restart the agricultural combine. This process is long, drawn out, and even worse, does not necessarily fix the problem, since the operator made the corrections while the agricultural combine was not moving.
As a result, the operator, on return to the operator's cabin, may see on the screen of his monitor that the corrections he made to the steering mechanisms were incorrect. However, in order to make further corrections, he must repeat this entire process of exiting the vehicle, adjusting the steering mechanisms, and returning to the cabin.
For these reasons, operators of agricultural combines are loath to adjust the steering mechanisms that change the profile of the windrow.
What is needed therefore is an improved arrangement for monitoring the profile of the windrow, and adjusting the steering mechanisms that change the windrow profile. It is an object of this invention to provide such an arrangement.